Instead of sleeping in, vegging out in front of the television or catching up on school projects, members of Mosaic United Methodist Church in Evans spent their fall break picking up debris, putting up fences and removing mold from homes flooded by Hurricane Katrina.
The contribution of a weekend's work by the eight teens to a small Mississippi church did more than just help the community clean up after the storm; it also lifted victims' spirits and taught the teens life lessons.
"I learned that the things in our lives really aren't that important," said Hallie Hulsey, 16. "But the people and the relationships you have with people ... you can't get them back."
Among a group of 13 members from Mosaic, the students returned Oct. 24 from D'Iberville, Miss., where they spent the weekend assisting victims of the hurricane. The group left Augusta on Oct. 21
D'Iberville is a suburb of Biloxi that sustained heavy damage from the hurricane.
Hallie said movies and television could not convey the scope of the damage.
"I think it was actually worse than what you would expect in a movie because it was real," she said.
Kelly Daugherty, 16, said she was surprised that people who had lost so much were so grateful and compassionate to the youth group.
"To actually have the chance to be kind to someone and then have them turn around and be kind to you reaffirms there is goodness in the world," she said.
On Oct. 23, the youth group members persuaded National Guard soldiers providing security to permit them to enter the casino district of Biloxi to see the barges washed ashore.
"You can't really describe it. Even in the news when you see pictures of it, it's nothing like when you are there in front of it," said Ryan Cutcliffe, 17.
Reach J. Scott Trubey at 868-1222, ext. 109, or jeffery.trubey@augustachronicle.com.
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